Debunking myths about music and Islam

Anne Rasmussen:
Author of Women, the Recited Qur'an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia.

‘Women, the Recited Qur’an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia’ by Anne Rasmussen

by Emily Gottschalk-Marconi
| December 22, 2010

In her new book Women,
the Recited Qur’an, and Islamic Music in Indonesia, Anne K. Rasmussen explores
the musical phenomenon of qur’anic recitation in the world’s most populous
Muslim nation, while taking on several myths about music and Islam.

The first myth she sets out to debunk holds that Islam and
music do not get along. In fact, qur’anic recitation, performed in Arabic, is a
highly stylized, artistic form of musical interpretation of verses from Islam’s
holy book, Rasmussen explained. During a recitation, groups or individuals
present different verses from the Qur’an that may be determined before performances
or on the spot. These qur’anic recitations are sung to melodies imported from
Egypt, even though Indonesia, with hundreds of ethnic groups, has
characteristically different music from the rest of the Arab world.

Indonesia combines the highest Muslim population of any
country in the world with a unique culture, distinctive in many aspects from Muslim
countries in the Middle East. Rasmussen, associate professor of ethnomusicology
at William & Mary, says Indonesians acquired qur’anic recitation through
years of migration and trade, picking up the work of the traditional Egyptian
reciters from radio transmissions and recordings—then they went on to
incorporate the art form into their own rich cultural mix.

“On any day, I might hear qur’anic recitation played on
cassettes in a shop or stall, broadcast on the car radio, emanating from the
neighbor’s house…or broadcast live from the five or so mosques that were within
range of our house,” Rasmussen writes.

A braided cultural
heritage

Today, the art of recitation is passed down through a braided
Indonesian cultural heritage that encompasses the study of the Arabic in the
Qur’an, the traditional Egyptian melodies, opera-grade vocal skills and the
ability to perform on a moment’s notice.

The Indonesian government has furthered the exhibition of qur’anic
recitations by sponsoring festivals and competitions. Interestingly, she says, 50
percent of participants have been women. In contrast to prevailing views
regarding females and Islam, Indonesian women are an integral part of the country’s
Islam-inspired soundscape. Rasmussen maintains that women are vital in all
aspects of Indonesian culture and society, particularly in their dedication to
the values and customs of their communities.

“There’s an
idea in Islam that women are playing secondary roles and are behind the scenes,
or that the sound of a woman’s voice is haraam,
or forbidden,” Rasmussen said. “Here, I have observed quite the opposite. I write
about women who not only work, but are in the business of religion and serve as
ritual specialists. Because they use their bodies and voices to spread the word
of God—and do that in a loud, virtuosic voice in the public sphere—their work
shatters notions that women should be seen and not heard.”

Rasmussen points out that Indonesian women have always been
activists and empowering role models to Muslim women around the world. “My book
really puts Indonesia on the map in terms of the activities of women as ritual
specialists,” she adds.

Performer, professor
and student

Rasmussen made multiple trips to Indonesia, including a
stint as a Fulbright scholar beginning in 1999. During her time there, she
played multiple roles, serving as a student, researcher, professor and
performer. Between playing the ‘ud
(an instrument akin to a lute), singing and directing a musical ensemble,
Rasmussen had a plethora of opportunities to experience and participate in the
Indonesian music scene.

“Ethnomusicology,
like anthropology, has a major methodology: the ethnographic method. You take
advantage of any invitations that are extended to you, whether they are to
weddings or study groups or to teach a class,” she said. “You try to use your
most acute powers of observation just to see what is going on between people,
what the goals of a particular event are, and what makes something successful.”

Rasmussen is on sabbatical for the 2010-2011 school year, working
on a project that examines how music has been transported and circulated between
the Arabian Gulf and the northern part of the Indian Ocean. She is also the
director of the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble at William & Mary, which she
founded in 1994.